WASHINGTON — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund’s Center for Academic Freedom have sent a letter to Georgetown University officials highlighting inconsistencies in their decision not to renew covenant agreements with several Christian student organizations at the same time that they recognize and support student groups of other faiths, including the Muslim Student Association. The decision effectively ejects the Christian groups from campus.
“Sadly, respected universities tarnish their own reputations when they encourage discourse among different faiths but then treat Christian groups differently than other religious groups,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel and CAF Director David French. “Georgetown has a long history as a Jesuit university which sought to advance the Christian faith, so it is befuddling and confusing that they would refuse to renew agreements with several Christian student organizations--that contain both protestants and Catholics--and yet recognize and support non-Christian groups.”
In a letter dated Aug. 14, Georgetown’s Office of Campus Ministry informed the six Christian student organizations, known collectively as “Affiliated Ministries,” that their covenant agreements would not be renewed. The letter provided no reason other than a decision “to move in another direction.”
On behalf of Affiliated Ministries, which includes student chapters of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Asian Baptist Student Koinonia, ADF attorneys mailed a letter to Georgetown University officials pointing out the discriminatory and contradictory nature of the school’s decision. A copy of the letter is available at
www.telladf.org/UserDocs/GeorgetownLetter.pdf.
“The decision does not make sense both in terms of Georgetown’s own stated mission, policies, and values and in terms of its own adoption of the First Amendment as the minimum level of free speech protections that its students should receive,” French explained.
ADF’s Center for Academic Freedom is defending religious freedom at America’s universities. ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
www.telladf.org www.centerforacademicfreedom.org